I am currently running my gaming PC as a Plex Media server and would like to build a dedicated server to save cost on power bills.
Was looking into a Raspberry Pi 4 (8GB) version but my mate advised it is only good for local streaming. Would like to find something that can stream content while on the go.
Any information as to what device I should invest would be great. All my media is on a 10TB external HDD with USB3.0 compatibility.
How about a shield pro
Have you had any experiences with the shield pro?
I cant find much about streaming content via mobile data when not connected to local network.
Was looking for deals on plex pass but found this forum. I have a Shield Pro running plex server and its great. Just plug in an external and you are good to go (almost). Since the Shield is on/sleeping 24/7 I can access my library from anywhere at anytime. I can also add to the external drive locally over wifi from my computer. Another benefit is it's running the Tegra mobile chipset, so its low power at all times. Was looking to upgrade my plex server to one of the next gen consoles, but pretty sure the power usage will keep me using the shield for plex instead. Happy to answer any questions if you have them.
Raspberry Pi is fine if you don't use transcoding. You probably need transcoding for watching contents over the mobile network. But shield pro is more responsive.
I wouldn't mine the Raspberry Pi due to form factor and power effeciency but currently I have my Plex server shared with some family members and friends so would love something to be able to handle video streaming when device isn't connected to my local network.
I use a Synology NAS.
Me too, but you need to get one capable of transcoding cause it is a miserable experience if you can’t play anything without worrying about formats.
I got a ds918+ for this reason, but you can get 2 bay with decent codec support,
Pi4 4gb on my local network and remote streaming is perfectly fine. Direct play is the way to go - transcoding is fine if 1 stream.
Just in case it matters - your mate says the Pi is good for local streaming only. He will say that because normally one would use Plex to transcode to a suitable bit rate for managing your uplink when accessing your Plex server from outside your home network - and that's true enough. However, if you have (a) sufficient uplink in your internet connection, OR (b) your media is in a format that doesn't need transcoding (ie a low enough bit rate) - then the Pi can do the job.
Having said that, these days I prefer a Synology NAS (a Plus model for your task). It might seem too much money but there's a great deal you can do with these units. It might help with a great many other roles.